6 Gallon ( 1 Betta + y ) = x

[Tamara]

So tell me if this sounds "ok" -

6 Gallon Eclipse
1 Betta + 3 Blue Tetras = Acceptable?

Do I need an algae eater? A snail perhaps? How do I get a snail that is "not preggers?" Some site mentioned pygmy sucker cats too.

I've cycled this tank for 2-weeks before Mr. Betta arrived and now it's been about a month. My water chem is fine other than we have hard water (sigh).

Any suggestions? I don't want to overstock but it would be nice to have at least three fish friends.

[AABatteries]

I would get 3 corys or 3 otos over the tetras.

[Tamara]

i thought otos got pretty large? and the corys too for that matter?

[Mvjnz]

I wouldn't put any other fish in there in a tank that small. To clean up algae and uneaten food you can get a mystery snail. They do store sperm, but they lay their eggs above the water line so they are easy to spot and remove.

I would not get a school of 3. A school should be 6 or more. Getting a schooling fish and only getting 3 of them is not fair on the fish.

[Gemini]

Otos I don't know much about - corys a little more.
There are heaps of different corydoras. Dwarf corydoras (hastatus) only grow to about 3.5cm (<2"). But they do like to forage around in the substrate and they NEED friends of their own. But 4 of them and a Betta would probably be ok as long as this isn't a tall tank, it needs to have a bit of a footprint for them to hang out in. And you do weekly maintenance.
The Betta and the corys or tetras will also like plants. So if you can get your hands on something like anubias or java fern they will be happy.
Corys must have soft substrate - sand or smooth gravel, otherwise they hurt their little barbels which they need for feeding.
Edit - I think I've miscalculated. I had 6G at 34L but that's not right. I'm changing my view to a Betta and snails. One nice snail and a nice pretty Betta with lotsa plants.

[Slow Cheetah]

for that size tank probably only the betta but if u feel the need to add other fish probably try to make the tank denser with plants, real or artificial, so if the betta is grumpy the fish of your choice can have somewhere to hide out

[Sharon]

A male Betta and a couple of Otos, would be OK, if you do weekly maintenance...

[Tamara]

and what about a few danios or a platy or two?

i understand some fishperts (fish experts), with tanks to spare, would really rather leave this hobby to the pros. i'm sure they're sick of people asking "oh i have a tank smaller than 10-gallons... etc ..."

maybe in the future i'll be there, in that moment of frustration too.

[troy]

I would say no on the platy and danios. Pygmy corys(c.pygmaeus) that only get to a little more than an inch long might work with a group of 4.

[Glub]

Nothing wrong with aquariums under 10gal at all. As long as you can put a filter on it and have room for a heater, the only difference between a 5gal and a 55gal is the amount of water and floorspace it'll take up.

I also believe that the betta would be best off alone in that tank. Bettas are one of those fish that likes to claim a small amount of territory in the tank. Obviously, when the tank is small, even a small territory can be hard to establish and defend with other fish buzzing around you all day.

I would however toss out cherry/ghost shrimp as considering. They aren't exactly fish, but they'll stay out of the betta's way, and the betta shouldn't give them too much trouble.

But, there's always the chance you get the over-aggressive betta that hates everyone and poops brimstone.

The cherry shrimp are fairly easy to provide for, provided you can keep very good water quality in a tank that size (means regular maintenance). For cover and decoration, I would advise Java Moss as almost a must for you.

I used to know a betta keeper who did an experiment to see just what conditions his java moss could thrive in. Apparently he even kept the stuff alive in a sock drawer and a jar of water. It's hardy stuff.

The Java Moss is great because it's cheap, easy to keep, can look great if you grow it over other stuff in the tank, your shrimp would do a lot better with a bit of live plantation in their tank, and your betta will also appreciate the cover it provides, and, it helps the water quality by absorbing some of the ammonia which in a tank with such little water to dilute it, might be a good idea.

[Tamara]

all excellent advice. it's so helpful to have real people to talk to about fish rather than just reading manuals. =)